Enduring Faithfulness

We easily find it in ourselves to pray for, even to demand, God's enduring faithfulness, but what about our own? Daniel confessed the sins of his nation in chapter 9 of his book of visions. In his confession of sin, Daniel admitted that his people had committed unfaithfulness. Prophets had come and gone, giving the word of the Lord to kings, princes, priests, leaders, and the people themselves, yet of all the sins that Daniel might have listed unfaithfulness stood out as one that covered all. God kept His covenants, His word, His love, and His faithfulness to the people of Israel; they turned away and were unfaithful. We may well pray the same prayer of confession in our land on this day.

As we look at reports and evidence of the many and varied sins in our land, let us pray for an enduring faithfulness in our own hearts first. Then, once God has established His enduring faithfulness firmly in the heart of His Christ-ones, we can pray for that faithfulness in our neighbor's heart and in the nation as a whole.

Enduring faithfulness to God must be our fondest wish, a desire like that of the young man in Mark 9:24, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" We often feel the temptation of doubt, the despair that calls for us to give up on our nation, our states, towns, and finally even the church. Withdrawal is an easy path; standing forth in faithfulness to God appears fraught with peril on every side. But, let us keep our eyes on Jesus and pray for enduring faithfulness. Amen.

Bucky